Migrating abroad and leaving everything behind is no easy feat, and Greek Australian welfare organisation Pronia is reaching out to assist with the transition in a workshop on ‘Migration and its effect upon children and family relationships’.
“In the last few years we have had quite a few newly-arrived Greeks come to Melbourne due to the financial crisis in Europe; many of them are Australian citizens and they had left years ago and now they’re coming back with their partners and children,” says the event’s organiser, community education officer Andonis Maglis.
While more people are seeking Pronia’s assistance with settlement, and practical things like accommodation, acquiring a mattress to sleep on and employment, he says it’s important not to neglect the emotional side of things.
With more than 200 different nationalities in Victoria, and more than 135 religions, it can take time to integrate into Australia’s overtly multicultural setting in comparison to what they’re accustomed to in Greece.
“Change and migration, and then resettlement into a new environment can affect children psychologically, emotionally, their stages of development, their development of friendships, and relationships with their parents. And it can also affect the couple and the family, because of course it is a very big change, changing schools, jobs, leaving everything behind,” Mr Maglis tells Neos Kosmos.
Taking place at Clayton Community Centre, the workshop will be an opportunity to learn about support services (many of which are free), support strategies for the various stages of migration, and for adults to learn about the common symptoms to look out for when someone is struggling with the transition, namely with regards to children.
“If they’re having difficulty opening up, starting new friendships, or they struggle at school, drop out of activities, their behaviour changes, you can find out how you can actually seek help and who can help you,” he says.
Invited to taking part in the session are the New Hope Foundation and Monash Youth and Family Services, which provide free counselling and other family services.
But the workshop is not only for newly-arrived migrants and families, open to anyone who has ever experienced migration and its challenges.
“I want to stress that it’s not only for newly-arrived people,” says Mr Maglis. “We find through our work that even people who migrated years ago may have been caught up in the whole survival mode and have pushed a lot of issues to the side. But those issues do come up later on in life.”
The workshop will take place on Wednesday 13 July at Clayton Community Centre, Youth & Family Services, 8-15 Cooke Street, Clayton, VIC from 10.30 am-12.30 pm. Attendance is free, though bookings are essential and can be made by calling (03) 9388 9998.